Working with a variety of mediums such as watercolours, oils, and pastels, Amitava has painted his thoughts yet camouflaging something which makes the spectator want to dig deeper in the canvas.

Amitava’s earlier works saw gentleness and acquiescence however; his recent paintings depict the violence and apathy of modern times. He has portrayed his thoughts and feelings evoked by his observations of the life around him. The artist feels that his paintings are a way that he gets a chance to express his thoughts. He says “The basic concept of my work is life around me. Throughout my life, I have been an urbanite and have reacted to anything that has happened – either political or cultural. But obviously, my paintings are my thoughts and I think through them. Painting to me has become a kind of a language.”

Born in 1947 in Delhi, Amitava graduated from the Delhi College of Art. He experimented with a few styles of painting and sketching. What is remarkable is the fact that through all his paintings, there is one common striking quality that comes through – stress on background and the layers of colours laid on the surface through which the images emerge. Amitava feels that it is through details that he defines his space in the painting. His work is based on situations where man is both the creator and the destroyer. Amitava creates a world that is natural and man made at the same time. It is way he uses different elements to create an environment that intrigues the spectators. With keen observation and sympathetic approach, Amitava highlights the inner struggle of humans. Off late, his work portrays aggression as Amitava feels how man has been isolating himself in this materialistic world.